Wedding Knowledge: Do Couples Tend to Look Alike?

May 7, 2017

Ever looked at a couple and wondered if it’s just you or do they look alike? Well, it is not just you. Couples, as odd as it sounds, tend to look alike.

Science now supports this theory by stating that the longer you are with your partner, the more you tend to resemble them. Science refers to this seemingly impossible and unrealistic phenomenon as the convergence of appearance.

Wedding Knowledge from the Empire Room

The chances of ending up with someone who shares the same traits as you are high; regardless of the fact that you two looked nothing like to begin with.

The dating world involves much more than visual appeal or chemical spark. In fact, we tend to gravitate towards people who are indeed like us in more than one way be it age, education, height, etc.

This explains why an educated person will most likely end up with another educated individual most probably from the same field of study. Similarity, however, also bases itself on genetics, including facial features and structure.

A 1987 study at the University of Michigan on facial likeness revealed that sharing life experiences leads to similar lines on faces. There is a subtle shift in facial contours and wrinkles with the progression of time.

Another deduction made involved the physiological phenomenon of aging. With age, distinct features happen to fade away. Thus, the longer a couple stays together, the greater the chances that they will look alike.

A popular theory known as emotional face-mirroring, states that we imitate the people we spend the most time with. This is referred to as unconscious mirroring and it allows us to feel a stronger emotional bond and feel one with the group. Evidence reveals that genetic similarity contributes heavily to a happy marriage.

So tell us, are you and your soon to be spouse already starting to blend together?